Chateau Les Grandes Murailles, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2011

95% Merlot, 5% Cabernet franc

Château Les Grandes Murailles is a Saint-Emilion estate inextricably linked to the imposing remains (“murailles” means walls) of a medieval Dominican monastery on the western edge of Saint-Emilion town. The estate also covers production of Château Côte de Baleau, a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé.

The Château Les Grandes Murailles vineyard lies at the foot of the aforementioned remains, covering 1.5 hectares (3.7 acres) immediately west of Saint-Emilion, and just over the road from the highly regarded Clos Fourtet vineyard. The vineyard is planted solely to Merlot on typical Saint-Emilion plateau soils of clayey limestone.

The resulting wine is 100 percent Merlot aged in predominantly new French oak barriques. Around 6,500 bottles are produced annually.

The estate is a regular in the Saint-Emilion Grand Cru classification and has featured in every classification listing – bar the 1986 and 2022 edition – since the inaugural 1955 ratings.